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HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. What happened at Enron? Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company’s collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work and wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four , including , were convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. Is Enron coming back? On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but “We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company’s website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory claiming all birds are actually government surveillance drones. What do former Enron employees think of the company’s return? Peters said she and some other former employees are upset and think the relaunch was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, 74, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. But Sherron Watkins, Enron’s former vice president of corporate development and the main whistleblower who helped uncover the scandal, said she didn’t have a problem with the joke because comedy “usually helps us focus on an uncomfortable historical event that we’d rather ignore.” “I think we use prior scandals to try to teach new generations what can go wrong with big companies,” said Watkins, who still speaks at colleges and conferences about the Enron scandal. __ This story was corrected to fix the spelling of Ken Lay’s first name, which had been misspelled “Key.” ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at Juan A. Lozano, The Associated PressTechnology stocks pull down Wall Street ahead of key inflation reportNone
Ivana Bacik dubs Sinn Féin a populist party and ‘has difficulty’ describing it as left-wingMUNICH: A second-half Harry Kane hat-trick took Bayern Munich to a 3-0 home win over Augsburg on Friday, sending them eight clear atop the table ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern, still yet to lose in the league in 2024-25, were dominant throughout but kept at bay by some dogged defending from their Bavarian neighbors. With 61 minutes gone, the ball connected with Augsburg’s Mads Pedersen’s outstretched arm in the box, bringing the England captain to the spot after a VAR review. Kane cooly converted to give Bayern the lead. In stoppage time, Kane went down in the box after contact from Keven Schlotterbeck and Bayern were again awarded a penalty after a VAR review, which the 31-year-old converted. Schlotterbeck was sent from the field after picking up a second yellow for his challenge. Kane then added a third, this time controlling a cross and heading in, his seventh hat-trick since joining Bayern. “We knew it would be difficult to break them down. We knew we had to be patient,” Kane told DAZN. “At halftime that’s what we said, ‘we just have to keep doing what we’re doing’. Thankfully we got the penalty to open the game up and then did well to kill the game off.” The England captain now has 14 goals in 11 league games for Bayern this season, five of which have come from the spot. “I work on them a lot. They’re a big part of the game. They helped us again today. Of course I’ve missed many at training, but that’s the time to miss them,” Kane laughed. Neuer boost Leipzig can cut the gap back to five when they play at struggling Hoffenheim on Saturday, while defending champions Bayer Leverkusen host Heidenheim. The German giants received a boost pre-match, with captain and veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer cleared to start after missing training with a rib issue. Bayern were in control of possession and field position but could not break through. Augsburg offered little in attack but defended stoutly, holding Bayern’s glittering attacking riches at bay. Augsburg goalie Nediljko Labrovic held firm to snuff out first-half chances from Jamal Musiaia and Leon Goretzka. The Bavarian giants, still smarting after going trophyless for the first time in 11 seasons last campaign, eventually broke through with half an hour remaining, breaking Augsburg’s resolve. Riding high in the league, Bayern have struggled in the Champions League format, sitting 17th after four games — six behind leaders Liverpool. Tuesday’s home match with PSG, who are even further down the Champions League table, could be crucial for the German side in their top-eight bid to avoid the extra playoff round. Kane backed his team to get through a tough phase, which includes a trip to Borussia Dortmund and a home German Cup clash with holders Bayer Leverkusen. “Big week ahead of us but the team is feeling good, we just have to keep going with this momentum,” added Kane. — AFP
HOUSTON (AP) — An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001. If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing. “It’s a pretty sick joke and it disparages the people that did work there. And why would you want to even bring it back up again?” said former Enron employee Diana Peters, who represented workers in the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what to know about the history of Enron and the purported effort to bring it back. Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2001, after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt or make failing ventures appear profitable. The energy company's collapse put more than 5,000 people out of work, wiped out more than $2 billion in employee pensions and rendered $60 billion in Enron stock worthless. Its aftershocks were felt throughout the energy sector. Twenty-four Enron executives , including former CEO Jeffrey Skilling , were eventually convicted for their roles in the fraud. Enron founder Ken Lay’s convictions were vacated after he died of heart disease following his 2006 trial. On Monday — the 23rd anniversary of the bankruptcy filing — a company representing itself as Enron announced in a news release that it was relaunching as a “company dedicated to solving the global energy crisis.” It also posted a video on social media, advertised on at least one Houston billboard and a took out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle In the minute-long video that was full of generic corporate jargon, the company talks about “growth” and “rebirth.” It ends with the words, “We’re back. Can we talk?” Enron's new website features a company store, where various items featuring the brand's tilted “E” logo are for sale, including a $118 hoodie. In an email, company spokesperson Will Chabot said the new Enron was not doing any interviews yet, but that "We’ll have more to share soon.” Signs point to the comeback being a joke. In the “terms of use and conditions of sale” on the company's website, it says “the information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.” Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that College Company, an Arkansas-based LLC, owns the Enron trademark. The co-founder of College Company is Connor Gaydos, who helped create a joke conspiracy theory that claims all birds are actually surveillance drones for the government. Peters said that since learning about the “relaunch” of Enron, she has spoken with several other former employees and they are also upset by it. She said the apparent stunt was “in poor taste.” “If it’s a joke, it’s rude, extremely rude. And I hope that they realize it and apologize to all of the Enron employees,” Peters said. Peters, who is 74 years old, said she is still working in information technology because “I lost everything in Enron, and so my Social Security doesn’t always take care of things I need done.” “Enron’s downfall taught us critical lessons about corporate ethics, accountability, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Enron’s legacy was the employees in the trenches. Leave Enron buried,” she said. This story was corrected to fix the spelling of Ken Lay’s first name, which had been misspelled “Key.” Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70CAMPAIGNERS have repeated calls for the UK and Scottish governments to stop funding Israeli companies after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu. Around 1000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators attended a rally in Glasgow on Saturday, despite the impact of Storm Bert as it caused disruption across Scotland . Organised by Stop the War Glasgow, the march left Glasgow Green and travelled across the city, eventually ending on Bath Street. 🎥 WATCH: Pro-Palestine campaigners braved Storm Bert to attend a demonstration in Glasgow on Saturday ❄️@GlasgowStopWar estimated around 1000 protesters showed up ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Bj3s6D0Pt9 It was initially planned to end with a rally at Glasgow Green, but this was later moved indoors due to poor weather conditions. On Thursday, the ICC ruled that there are reasonable grounds on which to arrest the Israeli leader – as well as former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif – for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The arrest warrants mean that the UK Government is legally obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot on British soil – with the Rome Statute from which this obligation springs incorporated into UK domestic law with the International Criminal Court Act 2001. Yet despite the ruling, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to comment on whether the UK Government would arrest Netanyahu, with the PM’s spokesperson declining to get into “hypotheticals” when asked on Thursday. Keir McKechnie, chairperson of the Stop the War Coalition in Scotland, believes Starmer’s position was “an absolute disgrace”. (Image: Colin Mearns) “It’s an absolute disgrace that Keir Starmer – despite the fact that nearly 50,000 people have been massacred in Palestine, that the war has now moved to Lebanon – that they continue not to recognise the mass murder of the Palestinian people,” McKechnie said. Starmer previously said that he does not believe that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. (Image: Colin Mearns) “I'm well aware of the definition of genocide, and that is why I've never described this as and referred to it as genocide,” he said during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday. McKechnie continued: “We’re here to call out the complicity of the Starmer government, who incredibly and shamefully refuse to recognise the genocide and continue to spend billions arming the state of Israel. “The key demand here is that not a penny of British Government money or taxpayers’ money should be spent on arming Israel.” Looking ahead, McKechnie said the pro-Palestine movement needed to “escalate” their campaign against the UK Government’s funding of Israel. However, he also called on the Scottish Government to “stop funding Israeli companies” through organisations such as the Scottish Enterprise. (Image: Colin Mearns) It comes as charity Amnesty International revealed that no arms company in receipt of a Scottish Enterprise grant – even those linked to states who have breached international law and who have been accused of war crimes - has ever failed a human rights check. “We’re saying: Stop all the funding, break all the economic, political and cultural ties with this genocidal state,” McKechnie continued. “We’ll continue the anti-war movement to build the pressure. As long as they’re bombing, we’ll be marching.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has promised to end birthright citizenship as soon as he gets into office to make good on campaign promises aiming to restrict immigration and redefining what it means to be American. But any efforts to halt the policy would face steep legal hurdles. Birthright citizenship means anyone born in the United States automatically becomes an American citizen. It's been in place for decades and applies to children born to someone in the country illegally or in the U.S. on a tourist or student visa who plans to return to their home country. It's not the practice of every country, and Trump and his supporters have argued that the system is being abused and that there should be tougher standards for becoming an American citizen. But others say this is a right enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, it would be extremely difficult to overturn and even if it's possible, it's a bad idea. Here's a look at birthright citizenship, what Trump has said about it and the prospects for ending it: During an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Trump said he “absolutely” planned to halt birthright citizenship once in office. “We’re going to end that because it’s ridiculous,” he said. Trump and other opponents of birthright citizenship have argued that it creates an incentive for people to come to the U.S. illegally or take part in “birth tourism,” in which pregnant women enter the U.S. specifically to give birth so their children can have citizenship before returning to their home countries. “Simply crossing the border and having a child should not entitle anyone to citizenship,” said Eric Ruark, director of research for NumbersUSA, which argues for reducing immigration. The organization supports changes that would require at least one parent to be a permanent legal resident or a U.S. citizen for their children to automatically get citizenship. Others have argued that ending birthright citizenship would profoundly damage the country. “One of our big benefits is that people born here are citizens, are not an illegal underclass. There’s better assimilation and integration of immigrants and their children because of birthright citizenship,” said Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the pro-immigration Cato Institute. In 2019, the Migration Policy Institute estimated that 5.5 million children under age 18 lived with at least one parent in the country illegally in 2019, representing 7% of the U.S. child population. The vast majority of those children were U.S. citizens. The nonpartisan think tank said during Trump’s campaign for president in 2015 that the number of people in the country illegally would “balloon” if birthright citizenship were repealed, creating “a self-perpetuating class that would be excluded from social membership for generations.” In the aftermath of the Civil War, Congress ratified the 14th Amendment in July 1868. That amendment assured citizenship for all, including Black people. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” the 14th Amendment says. “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” But the 14th Amendment didn't always translate to everyone being afforded birthright citizenship. For example, it wasn't until 1924 that Congress finally granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. A key case in the history of birthright citizenship came in 1898, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Wong Kim Ark, born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants, was a U.S. citizen because he was born in the states. The federal government had tried to deny him reentry into the county after a trip abroad on grounds he wasn’t a citizen under the Chinese Exclusion Act. But some have argued that the 1898 case clearly applied to children born of parents who are both legal immigrants to America but that it's less clear whether it applies to children born to parents without legal status or, for example, who come for a short-term like a tourist visa. “That is the leading case on this. In fact, it’s the only case on this,” said Andrew Arthur, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports immigration restrictions. “It’s a lot more of an open legal question than most people think.” Some proponents of immigration restrictions have argued the words “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the 14th Amendment allows the U.S. to deny citizenship to babies born to those in the country illegally. Trump himself used that language in his 2023 announcement that he would aim to end birthright citizenship if reelected. Trump wasn't clear in his Sunday interview how he aims to end birthright citizenship. Asked how he could get around the 14th Amendment with an executive action, Trump said: “Well, we’re going to have to get it changed. We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it.” Pressed further on whether he'd use an executive order, Trump said “if we can, through executive action." He gave a lot more details in a 2023 post on his campaign website . In it, he said he would issue an executive order the first day of his presidency, making it clear that federal agencies “require that at least one parent be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident for their future children to become automatic U.S. citizens.” Trump wrote that the executive order would make clear that children of people in the U.S. illegally “should not be issued passports, Social Security numbers, or be eligible for certain taxpayer funded welfare benefits.” This would almost certainly end up in litigation. Nowrasteh from the Cato Institute said the law is clear that birthright citizenship can’t be ended by executive order but that Trump may be inclined to take a shot anyway through the courts. “I don’t take his statements very seriously. He has been saying things like this for almost a decade," Nowrasteh said. "He didn’t do anything to further this agenda when he was president before. The law and judges are near uniformly opposed to his legal theory that the children of illegal immigrants born in the United States are not citizens." Trump could steer Congress to pass a law to end birthright citizenship but would still face a legal challenge that it violates the Constitution. Associated Press reporter Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.MANCHESTER UNITED have ditched the role of sporting director after their failed Dan Ashworth experiment. Sir Jim Ratcliffe axed Ashworth following Saturday’s 3-2 home loss to Nottingham Forest . Ashworth, now a target for Prem rivals Arsenal , was United’s first ever sporting director. But he is gone after just five months — with the post consigned to history . Red Devils part-owner Ratcliffe decided that his Ineos right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford , United chief exec Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox will share the responsibilities of the position. Ashworth, 53, was forced out of Old Trafford after losing a power battle with ex-City executive Berrada. READ MORE ON MAN UTD The pair had a huge fall-out over how the club should move forward in a bid to get back to the top of English football . But Ashworth, who worked at Newcastle , Brighton, West Brom and the FA , could be offered a swift return. Arsenal are assessing options to replace Edu as sporting director at the Emirates and Ashworth’s unexpected availability has caught their eye. Ashworth has a close relationship with Gunners managing director Richard Garlick, who is leading the search to land a new sporting director. Most read in Football FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS THE blame game has another victim as things go from bad to worse at Old Trafford. Manchester United’s first sporting director, Dan Ashworth, arrived in the summer and is gone before Christmas. SunSport exclusively revealed last month that there was trouble at mill. That the new senior management team were already blaming each other for the mess the club were in. Chief executive Omar Berrada and Ashworth were trying to wash their hands of it all, claiming they had arrived too late after serving their gardening leave. New part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said making decisions was all down to them. Meanwhile, Jason Wilcox thought it was all a mess under previous boss Erik ten Hag but was part of the team that encouraged him to stay after every other candidate ran for cover. There is word Ashworth did not favour appointing his successor and new head coach Ruben Amorim, preferring an English manager with more experience in our game. Perhaps that was why ex-England gaffer Gareth Southgate’s name was always mentioned after they worked together at the FA. Either way, Saturday’s showing against Nottingham Forest, after their second-half capitulation at Arsenal a few days previously, proved too much. The pair worked together at West Brom for three years. Garlick was legal director at The Hawthorns and worked under Ashworth before replacing him as the club’s sporting director when he left to join the FA in 2013. Everton are also monitoring Ashworth as they wait for The Friedkin Group to complete a takeover. The club’s prospective new owners are in the process of conducting a structural review , which will lead to new appointments including a chief executive and technical director. SunSport can reveal Ashworth’s axe will also open the door to further cuts at United . Ashworth fought against too many cutbacks despite Ratcliffe wanting more . In total, 250 staff have been made redundant. But that is not the end as Carrington is set to be targeted again — with the academy and women’s footballing section likely to be streamlined.
PubMatic, Inc. (NASDAQ:PUBM) Shares Purchased by Quest Partners LLC
Five Key Takeaways From the Proposed PTEP RegulationsIt's the Law: How the Child Protective Act worksMulti-year collaboration aims to expand artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, foster innovation, and enhance industry-specific solutions for diverse business leaders NEW YORK , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Genpact (NYSE: G), a global professional services and solutions firm delivering outcomes that shape the future, today announced a multi-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS) with plans to accelerate the adoption of AI and empower business leaders across functions to harness its transformative potential. By simplifying access to cutting-edge data and AI technologies, Genpact and AWS are allowing a broad range of decision-makers—from CFOs and COOs to procurement and operations leaders—to drive innovation within their organizations. "Our collaboration with AWS is focused on bringing AI innovations directly to the forefront of decision-making across every line of business," said Murat Aksu , Global Leader for Partnerships, Genpact. "This Strategic Collaboration Agreement will break down traditional barriers to AI adoption, making it accessible to business leaders beyond the CIO's office, and help our clients accelerate value through AI-driven insights and solutions." While AI innovations were previously centralized within IT functions, this expanded collaboration ensures that advanced technologies can now be seamlessly integrated into all business lines. Genpact's collaboration with AWS democratizes AI capabilities, offering tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of multiple business areas, empowering them to solve complex challenges with agility and efficiency. "Thanks to the Genpact and AWS collaboration, we've been able to become a fully cloud-native fixed-annuity provider," said Bob Guilmette , Chief Information Officer, Revol One Financial. "With AWS and Genpact's advanced technology expertise, we are streamlining operations, accelerating product launches, and enhancing digital customer experiences, positioning ourselves for sustainable growth and a competitive edge over legacy insurers." As an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner, Genpact brings deep expertise in AI, data and analytics. With nearly 1,000 certified AWS professionals, Genpact helps clients unlock the full potential of AWS services, including Amazon Connect and Amazon OpenSearch, to modernize operations and scale AI solutions. Genpact's numerous offerings in AWS Marketplace include: "We are expanding our collaboration with Genpact to drive AI transformation across industries," said Rima Olinger , Managing Director, North America Partners, AWS. "Genpact's industry expertise and advanced technology capabilities make them a valuable partner in helping organizations harness AI effectively, empowering business leaders to leverage data-driven insights and achieve their strategic objectives." This collaboration underscores the value of Genpact and AWS to provide flexibility and unlock greater business value for customers across industries. To learn how Genpact and AWS help enterprises across every industry and function, click here . About Genpact Genpact (NYSE: G) is a global professional services and solutions firm delivering outcomes that shape the future. Our 125,000+ people across 30+ countries are driven by our innate curiosity, entrepreneurial agility, and desire to create lasting value for clients. Powered by our purpose – the relentless pursuit of a world that works better for people – we serve and transform leading enterprises, including the Fortune Global 500, with our deep business and industry knowledge, digital operations services, and expertise in data, technology, and AI. Get to know us at genpact.com and on LinkedIn , X , YouTube , and Facebook . MEDIA CONTACT: Sue Martenson Genpact Media Relations +1 978-905-9582 susan.martenson@genpact.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/genpact-signs-strategic-collaboration-agreement-with-aws-to-accelerate-ai-adoption-302321582.html SOURCE Genpact Ltd.
